Singapore Airlines puts its first A380 out of service

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Singapore Airlines had the world's first Airbus A380 commissioned nearly a decade ago and made its last commercial flight last June. The leasing contract of the aircraft expires at the beginning of October and will not be renewed.

The Singapore-based company confirmed that its first A380 9N-SKA MSN3 is undergoing de-leasing before being returned to its German owner, Dr. Peters Group. The aircraft, which entered service on October 25, 2007, as the first commercial flight of the world with an A380, from Singapore to Sydney, made its last commercial flight on June 10 between London Heathrow Airport and Singapore-Changi - where it has been in a maintenance shed since then.

The leasing company has already announced that it does not exclude dismantling the aircraft to resell the spare parts if no customer appears.

It configured to accommodate 12 passengers in First Class, 60 in Business class, 36 in Premium and 333 in Economy, for a total of 441 seats. Recall that Singapore Airlines offers another configuration for its 18 superjumbos remaining: 12 + 86 + 36 + 245 (379 seats).

The Star Alliance company plans to retire another four A380s by next spring, all leased from the Dr. Peters Group. The leasing company has already announced that it does not exclude dismantling them to resell the spare parts if no customer appears and becomes the first operator of a used A380.

Discussions with six potential operators, including a low-cost Asian, were mentioned last month.